The Executive Council will vote Wednesday on whether to accept a nearly $10 million settlement the state reached with a Maine engineering firm over flawed foundation pilings that have stalled progress on construction of a new secure psychiatric unit attached to New Hampshire Hospital.
The Legislative Fiscal Committee last month approved receipt of a $9.9 million payment by the insurance company for SMRT Inc., the company that designed the pilings that will support the 41,000-square-foot facility being constructed by PC Construction of Vermont.
Under the settlement, neither SMRT Inc. nor PC is admitting any fault, and both firms are remaining on the job.
State officials say the settlement payment will cover costs associated with replacing the flawed pilings and the nine-month delay they caused.
Once complete, the new 24-bed hospital will replace the secure psychiatric unit located at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men, a facility that has been the subject of multiple lawsuits alleging inhumane treatment of residents.
The state broke ground on the new secure psychiatric unit in August 2023. The project is being funded with federal money from the American Rescue Act. Construction of the unit was originally slated to be completed this year. The state now expects work on the project to stretch into late 2027.
